Back to Trouble
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: A birthday present from the Weasley twins has far reaching consequences for Hermione... and everyone else. Completely AU, partly OOC, time travel, sick!Hermione.
1. Chapter 1

**Back to Trouble**  
><strong>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
>I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.<em>

* * *

><p>'<em>Today I'm sixteen<em>,' Hermione thought, excitedly. She impatiently lowered herself onto one of the sofas in the Gryffindor common room, giving up all hope that Harry and Ron would hurry up for once, so that they'd have time to eat breakfast. '_Not even on my birthday_,' she thought, grumpily.

Suddenly, the Weasley twins' voices pulled her out of her reverie. "Happy Birthday, Hermione," George said, smiling, while Fred held out a sweet to her.

With suspicion, Hermione eyed the sweet that was wrapped in dark blue paper with little golden stars on it. "You don't think that I'm going to digest any of your prank items now, are you?" she asked, glaring at the twins.

"Ah but Hermione..."

"... this is not a prank item..."

"... This is something, which should turn out very useful in class..."

"... especially for your Transfiguration class," the twins explained, driving Hermione crazy by their way of completing each other's sentences.

However, the thought of her Transfiguration class, in which the fifth years were going to get a first introduction into the Animagus transformation, made her curiously eye the gift.

"Very well then, do you have an Antidote in case it doesn't work?" she asked crisply.

"That doesn't need any antidote..."

"... because it's completely harmless," the twins reassured her.

'_Oh well, what can happen?_' Hermione mused, '_and what would be a better time to do something really stupid than my sixteenth birthday?_' Smiling at the twins, she slowly unwrapped what seemed to be a fruit drop and put it into her mouth, rolling her eyes in annoyance at the thought of how her mother would scold her for eating a sweet that probably contained sugar. '_I wonder if they're going to write today._' Completely wrapped in thoughts, she overheard the twins' warning to slowly lick the candy and not bite it, she cracked the sweet's shell with her teeth, only to immediately notice that something was not as it was supposed to be – not at all.

She felt a strange pull all over her body. It was a bit similar to the feeling of a Portkey; however, this was different. She saw the common room zoom away from her sight, before the world turned black.

HP

Only an instant later, the world around her became bright again; however, she suddenly had problems breathing. It was as if something was sitting on her chest pressing against her lungs.

"Can't breathe," she mumbled urgently, not even properly taking in her surroundings.

"Come with me," a female voice, which she couldn't place although it sounded familiar, penetrated her mind and made her obey automatically.

Hermione felt herself being led into the girls' bathroom, where someone switched on the shower. Gratefully inhaling the hot steam from the shower, she glanced around to assess her company for the first time, nearly chocking upon recognising the three girls. '_McGonagall, Pomfrey and Hooch_,' she thought; '_however, they're at least fifty years younger than usual_.'

"Feeling better now?" Poppy queried, giving her a sharp look.

"Much better; thank you very much," Hermione replied, gratefully. She still found it difficult to breathe though. '_Strange; I've never had these problems before. It surely was the twins' prank sweet that did this. But did it also take me back in time, or am I hallucinating?_'

"Then maybe you can tell us who you are, and how you managed to get into the Gryffindor common room," Minerva said firmly, looking at her with curiosity.

"I'm Hermione, and I'm a fifth year Gryffindor," Hermione replied slowly. "Someone gave me a sweet, but it must have been a prank sweet that brought me back in time. You seem to be fifty years younger than you were in my time."

"We're fifth years as well," Minerva informed her, trailing off when Rolanda interrupted her.

"We what?" Rolanda blurted out, looking at her friends in delight. "You come from the future? And all three of us will be at Hogwarts in fifty years' time? That's awesome."

"Well, that might be, but what are we going to do with Hermione?" Minerva asked, shaking her head in annoyance.

"First of all, I'm going to take her to granny," Poppy said in determination. "I don't like her laboured breathing at all. Hermione, did you have asthma before?"

Hermione looked at the soon to become Mediwitch in shock. "Asthma? No, I don't have asthma."

Poppy let out a long sigh. "Well, then maybe it was triggered by whatever you digested that made you time travel. My grandmother is the Healer here and will surely be able to help you. Let's go."

Feeling very much reassured by the presence of the three girls, whose elder selves she knew so well from her own time, Hermione followed Poppy to the hospital wing, where Theresa Pomfrey was the Mediwitch at that time.

Theresa thoroughly examined Hermione, before she said in a grave voice, "I'm sorry, sweetie, but you're indeed suffering from asthma. Since I don't know what potion you took to come here, I'm not sure if that's what triggered it, but if you didn't have any problems before, it seems most likely." She handed Hermione a spray instructing her to take one shot of it whenever she encountered breathing problems and to come back to her immediately in case the spray did not help. "Poppy, please keep an eye on Hermione," she instructed her granddaughter, before she suggested, "Poppy, Minerva and Rolanda, please accompany Hermione to Professor Dippet. I will excuse you from your morning classes and will also send Professor Dumbledore to the Headmaster's office. Maybe they'll have an idea how they could help Hermione to get back to the future."

Hermione wearily followed the three friends to the Headmaster's office. Her thoughts were going haywire. '_Maybe I'll be stuck here forever. Thank Merlin I know these three as well as Professor Dumbledore. Otherwise I'd feel much more alone. Oh well, I must attend classes here and at the same time try to invent a time travel potion. Harry and Ron will be so worried... hopefully the twins, too_,' she thought grimly.

HP

Professors Dippet and Dumbledore quietly listened to Hermione's story. "You travelled 55 years into the past?" Dumbledore asked finally, slowly popping a lemon drop into his mouth. When Hermione confirmed, he asked, "Do I understand it correctly that Sopho, our Sorting Hat, has properly sorted you into Gryffindor?"

"Yes sir," Hermione said, adding pleadingly, "Please Professors, may I stay in Gryffindor instead of being sorted again? I am so happy that I know Minerva, Poppy and Rolanda, and I'd really prefer being in the same house."

"I am sorry, Ms. Granger, but since your Sorting will only take place in the future..." the Headmaster began but was interrupted by Professor Dumbledore.

"Ms. Granger, tell me one thing. Will I still be the Head of Gryffindor in your time?" the white bearded wizard, who was even old in this time, queried.

"No sir," Hermione replied quietly. "You're the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall your Deputy and the Head of Gryffindor."

"Professor McGonagall," Rolanda blurted out, chuckling. "Well done, Minnie."

"Very well then. Since I am the current Head of Gryffindor, I suggest forgoing a re-sorting. The fact that she has been sorted into my House before shows that she possesses enough traits to be a member of Gryffindor, independently of when Sopho has made or will make his decision."

To her immense relief, Hermione saw the Headmaster nod his agreement. "Thank you so much, Professors," she said gratefully, casting the three girls next to her a relieved glance.

The Headmaster promised to make the house-elves place a bed for Hermione into the fifth year girls' dormitory and instructed the four girls to speak with Professor Slughorn, the Slytherin Head and Potions Master about the eventual invention of a time travel potion. The four girls were just about to leave, when Professor Dumbledore once again addressed Hermione.

"Ms. Granger, do you have any belongings with you?" he asked gently.

"Oh no," Hermione replied, terrified. "I only have my book bag, my wand, and the clothes that I'm wearing; nothing else, and of course no money either."

"Very well then; the four of you have the permission to go to Hogsmeade and buy everything that you need. Your friends here will be able to assist you. Ms. McGonagall, tell the shopkeepers to take the money from the Hogwarts account. We have a certain budget for cases like Ms. Granger."

"Well, I don't know about you, Hermione, but the three of us missed breakfast, so I suggest going to the kitchen for breakfast first," Rolanda spoke up when they passed the gargoyle in front of the Headmaster's office.

"That would be wonderful," Hermione agreed. "I missed breakfast as well."

The four fifth years headed to the kitchen, where the house-elves made appear a whole table full of food for them in a blink. Absentmindedly eating her breakfast, Hermione tried to understand her situation. '_So instead of attending Hogwarts in our fifth year, having to endure Umbridge and trying to help Harry fighting Voldemort, now that he is back, I'm in Professor McGonagall's time. I can't believe it. Why would something like that happen to me_?' She thoughtfully took a sip from her mug of hot tea and almost chocked, when realisation struck her mind. '_Voldemort! He must be a student here too_,' she thought, excitedly. '_This must be about the time when he made his diary. And Hagrid must be here, too_.'

Suddenly, Minerva's voice brought her back to reality. "The first morning class will be over in a few minutes. We should go to the Potions classroom and try to speak with Professor Slughorn before the beginning of the next class. That way we'll have enough time to go to Hogsmeade and be back before the beginning of the afternoon classes."

"Let's go to Hogsmeade right away," Hermione said slowly, making a decision. "We don't have to speak with Professor Slughorn. I'm not going to go back to the future. I will stay here in this time."

_tbc... _


	2. Chapter 2

**Back to Trouble  
>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

><p>'<em>Mum and Dad won't worry about me<em>,' Hermione thought, '_because when I vanish on my sixteenth birthday in the future, my older self will be there and can inform them_.'

'_What about Ron? He is your boyfriend_,' a voice at the back of her head spoke up.

'_Our friendship wouldn't have lasted anyway. If I could choose my boyfriend now, I'd choose Harry and not him anyway. Ron is too lazy and stupid, and I wouldn't be able to handle his never ending jealousy. Oh well, in the future I'll tell them why I had to stay here, in case I succeed and they don't know anything about it_.'

"Hermione, are you all right?" Rolanda asked in apparent concern. "Are you sure?"

"Yes and yes," Hermione replied, smiling. "I just remembered that I have an errand to do in this time."

"What is it?" Minerva asked sharply, eyeing her in apparent concern.

Hermione let out a long sigh. "I probably should not tell you about it, because if I succeed, it's going to change the future enormously, and in my third year in the future, Professor Dumbledore and you told me that it was a dangerous thing to mess up with time and that one should never change the future." She remained pensive for a moment, before adding "Maybe I'll need your help though, but I won't tell you now. Let's go to Hogsmeade first."

"Okay, tonight then," Rolanda said firmly. "Promise?"

"All right," Hermione agreed, somehow unable to refuse anything to Rolanda, who was not only very friendly, but also was in a very good mood that seemed to be contagious.

HP

The four girls had much fun at their unexpected shopping trip in Hogsmeade, and Hermione had to admit to herself that she enjoyed it immensely. So far, she had always come to Hogsmeade together with Ron or Harry or both, because she did not have any female friends except for Ginny and the other girls were too girlish for her liking; however she noticed soon that her three new friends shared her own interests, and she was delighted when Poppy suggested spending some time in the bookshop after finishing their shopping.

Remembering Professor Dumbledore's instructions, they just made it back to Hogwarts in time for lunch. Before the meal popped up on the tables, Professor Dipped introduced Hermione, explaining that she was a fifth year Gryffindor and had so far visited a small, private wizarding school in Ireland. '_Let's just hope that no one asks me anything about Ireland_,' Hermione thought, resolving to search the library for some information about Ireland at the next opportunity.

It was on their way to the Great Hall for dinner that Poppy said to Hermione, "What I don't understand is that no one except for you was affected by the prank sweet. Did someone specifically make that sweet for you, or did you randomly accept it from someone, and no one else took one?"

Hermione smiled. "It was a birthday present from the Weasley twins. They're really good friends, and I'm sure that they didn't want to harm me let alone send me to the past. They must have made a mistake brewing it."

"Is it your birthday today?" Rolanda asked, eagerly.

"What date is it?" Hermione asked in confusion. "I know I almost arrived at the same time of the day, but if it's the same date..."

"The nineteenth of September," Minerva replied after casting a quick spell at the nearest wall.

"Oh, then it's my birthday here too, although I'm not even born in this time," Hermione said, sighing.

"Well, you're just two weeks older than me, so if anyone asks you, your birth year would be 1925," Minerva corrected her gently.

Her three friends congratulated Hermione, before Rolanda suddenly groaned. "Oh no; only this morning we were at Hogsmeade. Such a pity that we didn't know that it's your birthday. We could have bought some butterbeer and such for a birthday and welcome party for you."

"Oh it's all right," Hermione said, casting Rolanda a sad smile as she remembered how Fred and George used to either bribe the house-elves into preparing food for them or take the passage to Honeydukes to buy something themselves. '_At least Minerva doesn't know the passage_,' she thought and slowly spoke up. "In our time, we sometimes used to get to Hogsmeade through a secret passage."

"A secret passage? Where is it? Show me," Rolanda demanded, grabbing Hermione's arm.

"Rola, you know that you're not supposed to miss a meal," Poppy threw in sternly. "After dinner, Hermione can show you the way, and I'll accompany you."

"No," Hermione said, shaking her head. "It's not important at all."

"Just leave them," Minerva whispered, just when they entered the Great Hall. "These two won't miss the opportunity for a party.

"Ah Minnie, you're the right to talk," Poppy gave back, rolling her eyes at her friend. "Be careful around these two," she warned Hermione, "especially in the Potions classroom. They do nothing but nonsense and are very bad at Potions."

Hermione chuckled at the girls' antics. _'Well maybe it was really good to come here. I'm happy to have such nice girls as friends for a change, and I'm looking forward to having classes together with them in this time. I just hope I'll be able to do something about Tom.'_

HP

The birthday and welcome party was very funny. Even if Hermione missed Harry, Ron, Ginny and the twins, she noticed soon that the students in this time were not much different from her own time, and that indeed Rolanda and Minerva were up to much mischief, especially as Minerva cast a spell at the portrait hole that made all torches flicker out every time Professor Dumbledore entered the common room. To Hermione's surprise, their Head of House showed up three times during the evening, something that Professor McGonagall had barely ever done in her own time. One of these times, Professor Dumbledore cast a silencing spell around himself and Hermione and asked her to think about whom she wanted to become her guardian during her stay in this time.

As soon as he left through the portrait hole and the common room became bright again, her friends began to eagerly discuss her options.

"Well, you know Dumbledore, Professor Dippet I would not choose, Professor Slughorn is a bit strange but otherwise nice; but if I was you, I'd definitely want Poppy's granny to become my guardian," Rolanda was the first to advise Hermione, and the two others immediately agreed.

HP

After curfew, Hermione learned that Augusta Longbottom was the only other occupant of the fifth year girls' dormitory.

"Don't do anything half-way interesting, when she's nearby. She's very strict and has often given us out to Dumbledore," Rolanda whispered to her, causing Hermione to cast a curious look at the bed at the far end of the dormitory. However, the curtains were closed as if the student, to whom the bed belonged, was already asleep. _'She must be Neville's grandmother,'_ Hermione thought, remembering how uncertain Neville had always been in her time due to his grandmother's strict education and the fact that he could do nothing right for her. _'Poor Neville,'_ she thought_. 'Maybe I can get to know his granny and change her a bit for the better,' _she mused. _'However, if I succeed, he'll grow up with his parents anyway.'_

She was pulled out of her thoughts, when her three friends approached her bed and made themselves comfortable, before Poppy cast a Silencing charm around them. "Now Hermione, will you tell us about your errand here?" Minerva was the first to ask.

Hermione cleared her throat, seeing everyone look at her with interest. "Do you know Tom Riddle?" she then queried, eyeing the three young witches in concern.

"He's in Slytherin, a fourth year," Poppy replied in apparent surprise. "Why do you ask?"

Hermione let out a long sigh and explained what she knew about Tom Riddle AKA Lord Voldemort. "I thought that since I'm here now, I can as well try to friend him and to prevent him from becoming a monster," she added in a soft voice.

"Oh maybe that's a good idea," Minerva said pensively. "I've often seen him in the library, but I've never spoken with him. So maybe you could try to get in contact with him in the library, and then if you introduce him to us, we can all help you."

Hermione happily agreed, admitting that the library was her favourite place at Hogwarts, too.

"I wonder if I should tell Professor Dumbledore about the matter though. In my time, he was the one who seemed to know everything and had been fighting him for quite some time, together with Minerva of course," Hermione thought aloud, giving the girls a questioning look.

"Maybe that would be for the best," Minerva agreed immediately. "That would also have the advantage that you could show us some memories in his Pensieve."

"Very well then, let's do all this tomorrow. You should also tell granny about the matter. If she's going to become your guardian, she should know about all that is bothering you. And we'll show Tom to you tomorrow," Poppy promised, before she instructed her friends to go to bed and gave Hermione a concerned look. "Are you feeling all right?" she asked. "You need to take the spray once again in any case."

"All right," Hermione agreed. In fact, she did not feel overly well; however, under no circumstances would she admit the matter to Poppy. _'I can't wait to attend more classes here in this time, and I'm definitely not going to miss them because of some stupid cold or whatever it is,'_ she mused, as she lay down and tried to sleep.

HP

In the morning, Hermione noticed that her chest hurt every time she swallowed; however, she took her spray and tried to hide from her friends, especially from Poppy, who seemed to watch her like a hawk, that she did not feel all right. _'I hope Tom will be in the library later on,'_ she mused, as she climbed the stairs to the Transfiguration classroom together with her friends.

_'It's really strange to have Transfiguration with Professor Dumbledore instead of Professor McGonagall,'_ she mused, while she tried to concentrate on transfiguring a lemon drop into a canary bird that was alive and singing.

"I liked your older self's Transfiguration classes more," she whispered to Minerva on the way back downstairs, glad that she had been among the few students, who had flawlessly managed the Transfiguration."

"Why thank you, Hermione," Minerva replied in amusement. "Let's not change the future in this matter then, as I really want to become the Transfiguration teacher after taking my NEWTs," she added, smiling at her new friend, who gave her a reassuring nod. "All right then, shall we accompany Hermione to the library?" she asked the others.

"Yes, let's see if Tom boy is there," Rolanda said, chuckling.

"Hermione, are you sure you want to do this, and do you want to do it now?" Poppy queried in apparent concern, adding, "You don't look well. Plus we should go to see granny anyway, so that you can tell her about the guardianship matter if you're certain about it."

"Yes, I'm sure, and we can go to see her tonight," Hermione said quickly, "I want to get to know him as soon as possible. I hope that it's not too late already."

HP

When the four friends entered the library, Poppy pointed to a table a bit further ahead. "He always sits over there at the table right next to Madam Pince."

"Okay, thank you so much. I'll see you later then," Hermione said gratefully. She hurriedly made herself comfortable at the still empty table that Poppy had shown her and began to do her Transfiguration homework, noticing in relief that the task had about the same level of difficulty that it had in her own time.

All of a sudden, a tall boy came to stand right next to the table. "What are you doing here?" he asked, crossly.

"Hello," Hermione greeted the boy, looking at him with interest. "I'm doing my homework. Why?" she enquired. "I'm sorry, but I'm new at Hogwarts. Are these tables reserved or something?"

"No; but I'm usually sitting here," Tom replied, impatiently.

"Oh I'm sorry, but I think we have space enough," Hermione replied, groaning inwardly as she pulled her books to one side of the table. "I'm sorry, but could you perhaps help me around this library please? I'm looking for a good book about the Animagus Transformation. Do you know where I can find something about this topic?"

The boy eyed her with apparent interest. "Which year are you in?" he then queried, quirking an eyebrow.

"Fifth year, and you?" Hermione asked the obvious.

"I'm a fourth year Slytherin," Tom replied, pride sounding in his voice. "Why are you looking for a book about Animagi? Is Dumbledore going to teach the Animagus Transformation in fifth year?"

"No, I don't think so," Hermione said, thoughtfully. _'I need to ask the others if they've already managed the Transformation. If not, we could study together,'_ she thought, looking up in surprise at Tom's next words.

"So you're going to study it just by yourself?" he wanted to know and, when she nodded her confirmation, continued, "I'd like to become an Animagus too, but I heard that it's very difficult."

"Maybe we could study together if you're interested," Hermione suggested, carefully not to sound too eager. "I'm Hermione by the way."

"Tom," the boy introduced himself. "Are you a Ravenclaw?" he then queried, giving her a sharp look.

"No, I'm in Gryffindor," she replied, causing his expression turn to shock.

"Ahh the House of the fools. Are you at least a pureblood?" he asked, sneering.

Hermione sighed. "No Tom, I'm Muggle born. But since my first school year, I've been the best of my class, so I don't think it really matters if the parents are magical or not."

"Hmmm, that might be," Tom said, thoughtfully. "I can speak with snakes though, because I'm the heir of Salazar Slytherin."

"Do you want to become a snake Animagus then?" Hermione asked, not wanting the topic to turn to a certain basilisk that was still very much alive in the Chamber of Secrets.

"That would be cool," Tom replied. "But anything else would be great too. I'd prefer a magical animal though. And you?"

"I'd love to become a cat," Hermione said, suddenly feeling sad upon knowing that she would only be able to meet Crookshanks again in half a decade.

"All right then, let's try to become Animagi," Tom said in resolution, standing up from his seat. "Let's check out the Transfiguration section for some good books then."

Together they searched the shelves, taking one or the other book out, before Hermione found what she was looking for. "Here, _'Transfiguration Through the Ages,'_ sounds interesting," she told the boy and carried the old tome to their table, inwardly grinning at how easy it had been to get to talk to Tom. _'He seems a bit strange but still not bad,'_ she mused, as she eagerly skimmed the first pages. While Tom engrossed himself in his reading, Hermione had to try hard to concentrate on her book instead of unobtrusively observing the boy.

"There is a potion, the Animagus potion," Tom suddenly spoke up, looking up from his book. "Are you good at Potions?"

Hermione chuckled. "Show me the recipe." She skimmed the instructions in the book that Tom held out for her. "Oh well, it doesn't seem too difficult to brew. Do you think we can use the Potions classroom?"

Tom remained thoughtful for a moment, before he said, "Usually, it's not a problem. Professor Slughorn allows me to do what I want; however, he probably shouldn't know what we're going to brew, so maybe we should do it right now, while everyone is at dinner."

_'Oh Merlin, it's already dinner time,'_ Hermione realised in surprise. _'I wouldn't have expected that I could enjoy myself in Tom's presence,'_ she thought. "Don't you mind missing dinner?" she asked aloud, thinking of Ron and how he'd have thrown a temper tantrum at the mere thought of brewing a potion during a meal time.

"No," Tom replied, casually. "I can get something from the kitchen later on."

"All right then," Hermione agreed and cast a copy charm at the book, before the two students headed to the dungeons.

HP

While Hermione brewed the potion, Tom prepared the ingredients, secretly admiring Hermione's skilled way of brewing. _'For a Muggle born she seems extremely competent,'_ he mused. _'And my magic is strong too, even though I'm only a half blood. Maybe she's right and it really doesn't matter what the parents are.'_ He found himself observing in amazement how Hermione filled the completed potion into several small phials, before she cleaned up the room with a few waves of her wand. _'She's awesome,'_ he thought. _'And she seems to like studying like myself. I hope we'll be able to study together. I'd love to have such a nice friend, even if she's only Muggle born and a girl.'_

"Tom," Hermione's voice brought him back to reality. "Shall we take the potion right away?

"Yes, I can't wait to try it out," Tom said eagerly. "But where? Here?" He glanced around, thoughtfully.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "No, we can't transform into animals in the Potions classroom. We have to go and look for an unused classroom."

The two students headed back in the direction of the library and slipped in one of the unused rooms on the right hand side. Hermione conjured a thick mattress and motioned Tom to sit on it.

"Do you expect the Transformation to hurt?" he queried, quirking an eyebrow.

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know, but maybe it will, and then it's better to test it on a soft ground. Here, you go first." She handed him one of the small phials that she had placed into her book bag earlier.

"Are you sure that it's correctly brewed and won't harm us?" Tom asked, anxiously.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the boy. "Very well then, get up and let me go first," she told him and drank the potion, forcing herself to not linger on the taste.

An instant later, she noticed that her eye sight greatly expanded and that her limbs felt outright strange. Looking down her now much smaller body, she noticed that she had orange and brown fur and four legs. _'I'm a cat,'_ she realised, _'although I can't see what type of cat I am. But at least it's a feline form, that's awesome.'_

=I'm a cat,= she meowed, feeling very happy.

"You're a Kneazle cat," Tom spoke up, eyeing her with clear admiration.

As soon as Hermione changed back, Tom took her seat on the mattress and quickly gulped down the potion.

With mixed feelings, Hermione observed how his body slowly transformed into what to her great relief was not a snake but "A lynx," she shouted with excitement. "Congrats Tom, you're a lynx, even a magical lynx," she added, observing how the black cat in front of her changed its colour.

"That's good, then we'll be able to communicate. I could understand what you said in your cat form," Tom informed her, after he automatically transformed back into his human form. "Shall we meet in the library again after the last afternoon class tomorrow?" he suggested. "We have to do some research how to proceed with the Transformation, before we can begin to practise."

"Yes," Hermione agreed, "and we also need to read a little about our Animagus forms. It's good that we can study together and also that we're both cats. I just hope we'll manage the Transformation."

"We surely will," Tom replied, smirking. "Good night Hermione."

_'He looks really happy,'_ Hermione thought, as she made her way upstairs and slowly returned to the Gryffindor common room. _'He's not bad yet,'_ she mused. _'Maybe he really just needs someone to look after him and tell him what's wrong and what's right. And perhaps I can help him to find some friends, and if I know that he will be all right this time, I might even be able to return to the future.'_

_tbc..._


	3. Chapter 3

**Back to Trouble  
>by Healer Pomfrey<strong>

_Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1!_

* * *

><p>Deep in thoughts, Hermione entered the common room, where Minerva, Poppy and Rolanda immediately waved her over to the sofa in front of the fireplace.<p>

"Where have you been?" Poppy asked strictly. "You missed dinner, and it's almost curfew."

"We searched you in the library and were really worried when we couldn't find you, especially after all that you told us about Tom," Minerva added in a stern voice.

"I'm so sorry," Hermione replied, inwardly groaning. "We went to the Potions classroom and brewed a potion," she explained and unobtrusively waved her wand around the group casting a Silencing spell. "Have you already managed the Animagus Transformation?" she asked, causing the three girls to look at her in surprise.

"Are we Animagi in the future?" Rolanda queried, staring at the girl.

Hermione grinned. "Minerva is a tabby cat, but I'm not sure about Poppy and Rolanda. Anyway, we brewed the Animagus potion, and I brought a phial for each of you as well if you want to try it out."

"A tabby cat?" Minerva queried in apparent delight. "How cool is that?"

"Did you already take the potion?" Poppy asked sternly, giving Hermione a sharp look, when she took her spray, noticing that she had breathing problems again.

"Yes, we did," Hermione replied, smiling. "Tom's a magical lynx, and I'm a Kneazle cat. I'm so happy about it, because in the future I have my pet Kneazle waiting for me."

"Should we go to my own room in granny's quarters to take the potion?" Poppy suggested, and the four friends left the common room, eager to know what Poppy's and Rolanda's Animagus forms were.

HP

Since Theresa seemed very busy, the four girls went straight into Poppy's room. It was kept in different shades of blue tones and, apart from a cosy looking bed, a wardrobe and a bookshelf, was equipped with a round, white table and four comfortable chairs. While Hermione was still inspecting the surroundings, her friends let themselves sink into the chairs, watching her in expectation.

"Oh sorry," Hermione uttered and took her seat, carefully pulling the three phials with the Animagus potion out of her book bag.

"Who wants to go first?" Minerva queried, adding, "You better sit on the bed, as it might hurt the first time."

"You go first, Minnie," Poppy decided, and Hermione observed with amusement how the girl transformed into the tabby cat form, which she had already seen multiple times.

HP

The other two girls had just finished exploring their Animagus forms, when Theresa entered the room.

"Did you come to see me?" she enquired gently. "Or did you just want to spend some quiet time here?"

"Granny, Hermione brewed the Animagus potion for us," Poppy blurted out in excitement. "I'm going to become a white dove, Rolanda a flying turtle, Minnie a tabby cat, and Hermione a Kneazle cat. Isn't that cool?"

Theresa let out a long sigh. "These are all very interesting forms, dear," she replied in a soft voice, "however, the Animagus transformation is very difficult, and it's also quite dangerous. Therefore, you have to promise me that you'll never practise on your own. You have to be at least two, so that one can run to fetch Professor Dumbledore or myself if anything happens."

"We promise," Minerva said in a firm voice.

"Granny," Poppy spoke up again, "Professor Dumbledore asked Hermione to choose one of the adults here in the castle as her guardian, and she'd like you to become her guardian."

Theresa looked at Hermione. "Of course, I'll become your guardian, my dear. You need someone here in this time. Who knows how long it'll take to find an antidote to the potion that brought you here."

Hermione cast the Healer a grateful look. "Thank you so much, Madam Pomfrey. In fact, for the time being I think that I'm going to remain here in this time." Seeing the older witch look at her in shock, she hesitantly explained about Tom Riddle AKA Lord Voldemort, knowing that the Healer was bound to her Healer's oath and that above all Poppy had suggested telling her grandmother about the matter. _'I fully trust Poppy,'_ Hermione mused, while her three friends began to simultaneously speak to the older witch.

"I will speak with Professor Dumbledore about the matter, dear," Theresa promised. "I'm sorry, but I need to leave again. The hospital wing is full with students tonight. Don't forget to return to Gryffindor in time for curfew. Good night, girls." With that she hurriedly took her leave.

HP

After the last afternoon class the following day, Poppy, Minerva and Rolanda insisted that they'd study in the library as well, promising Hermione to stay at the other end of the library, so that Tom would not even know about their presence.

"Considering what he did in the future, we just want to make sure that you're all right and he doesn't take you to the Chamber of Secrets or such places," Poppy insisted.

However, Hermione and Tom remained at their table, studied the Animagus transformation books and informed each other when they found an interesting passage, after unobtrusively casting a silencing charm around themselves, knowing that Madam Pince would not allow any conversation in the library.

_'I wished Harry had ever been as studious, let alone Ron,'_ she mused as she walked to the Great Hall together with her new friend, who apparently seemed to appreciate her presence as much as she did.

"Shall we meet in the unused classroom tomorrow to try the Transformation?" he whispered, when they reached the entrance hall, smiling when Hermione nodded eagerly.

HP

During the following week, Hermione and Tom met either in the library or in the unused classroom, in which they had taken the Animagus potion before, every day after the last afternoon class.

As much as Hermione was conscious about who the student in front of her was, she could not help enjoying studying together with Tom. Sometimes, she even returned to the library again after dinner, knowing that Tom used to do his homework in the library. _'He's really nice. How could he become such a monster in the other time?'_ she wondered one day, when they had both felt exhausted after practising for a while and had retreated to the library. _'He doesn't talk much to others, but he's polite to the teachers and very friendly when he speaks, at least with me. I wonder why he seems to not have any other friends.'_

"Is everything all right?" Tom suddenly queried, quirking an eyebrow.

"Sure. Why?" he asked, startled.

Tom grinned. "Because you've been staring into space the last twenty minutes, which you usually don't do. It's all right though. It's almost dinner time anyway."

"Oh right, we need to go," Hermione realised after a glance at her wrist watch.

_'I wished I could just skip dinner,'_ she thought, as she took her seat between Rolanda and Minerva at the Gryffindor table. Ever since she had come to the past, she had not been feeling well, although she had been trying the whole time to set up the healthiest expression that she could, not wanting Poppy's concern for her interfere with her study time with Tom. _'If my chest still hurts at the end of the week, I'll ask Poppy about it,'_ she resolved. _'The day after tomorrow is Saturday, and maybe Tom is going to go to Hogsmeade anyway.'_

"Hermione, don't day dream. Eat your dinner," Poppy admonished her lightly from Minerva's other side, causing Hermione to inwardly groan.

_'In our time, she wasn't that overprotective,'_ she thought in annoyance, ignoring the small voice that whispered from the back of her mind, _'Yes, but she knows that you're completely alone in this time, plus her grandmother instructed her to keep an eye on you.'_

"Should we go and visit Professor Dumbledore is in his office?" Minerva suddenly whispered, bringing Hermione back to reality. "We can tell him about Tom, and perhaps we could watch some of Hermione's memories in the Pensieve."

"Yes, I can't wait to see our older selves in her memories," Rolanda cheered, causing the others to laugh.

Hermione agreed, and a short while later, the four friends were sitting in the Transfiguration professor's office, having tea and talking to their Head of House.

_'The office looks like in our time,'_ Hermione thought, curiously glancing around. _'Only the Quidditch trophies are missing that McGonagall used to keep on that shelf over there.'_

Professor Dumbledore listened quietly to Hermione's explanations. Only from time to time he threw in questions, and when she informed him about the diary, which Tom had made at the age of sixteen, his expression became grave.

"We have two years at the most to change Tom, provided that it's not too late already," he said, thoughtfully. "Don't tell anyone that you came from the future and know what is going to happen during the next fifty years," he instructed her, firmly. "Apart from your three friends here, Madam Pomfrey and the Headmaster no one should know about the matter."

"Yes, I understand that, Professor," Hermione replied, smiling. When Dumbledore suggested that she should place her memories into the Pensieve, Hermione hesitantly agreed, not really feeling well enough for the task. However, she spent the following hour thinking of memories, partly her own, partly Harry's, which she had watched in Dumbledore's Pensieve in the future, before she leaned back in her chair in exhaustion.

"Finished, Ms. Granger?" Dumbledore asked kindly, giving her a worried look.

"Yes sir. I think that were the most important scenes," she replied, absentmindedly rubbing her forehead.

Dumbledore glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece. "Will you remain here and watch everything with us?"

Hermione looked at the professor in exasperation. "If it's not necessary, I'd prefer to return to the common room, sir," she said in a small voice, only to sigh in relief, when the teacher dismissed her and wished her a good night.

Like from far away, she heard Poppy's firm instruction to go straight to bed.

HP

However, Hermione made herself comfortable in front of the fireplace and worked on her homework, for once glad that she had only Transfiguration and Potions left, before she would be able to retire for the night.

Just when she was finished, her friends returned to the common room, noticeably quieter than usual.

"Hermione, Professor Dumbledore wants to speak with you again," Minerva informed her, giving the girl a sympathetic look.

Hermione inwardly groaned. "Now?" she asked, unintelligently.

"I don't think so," Poppy replied firmly, and before Hermione knew what happened, a cold hand found its way to her forehead. "Minnie, please go back and tell him that Hermione is not well tonight. I'm going to take her to granny."

"Minerva, please wait a moment," Hermione answered quickly. She pulled a book out of her book bag and handed it to the girl. "It's a non self-updating version of _Hogwarts: A History_ of the year 1990. Maybe he'd like to read that in the meantime." Seeing that Minerva left the common room, she turned to Poppy. "No, I'll just go to bed. I'll be fine," she said, giving her classmate a pleading look.

Poppy frowned. "I can try to check on you, but it's not very accurate, and I think you're running a fever."

"It's probably just a cold," Hermione replied, sighing.

"Very well," Poppy relented. "Come with me to the dormitory, so that I can check on you. But if I have the impression as if it was worse than a cold, I'm still going to take you to granny."

"Hermione, do as Poppy says, or you won't have a quiet minute," Rolanda threw in, causing Hermione to smile.

To Hermione's relief, Poppy did not drag her to the hospital wing, although she seemed very concerned about her condition. However, during the night, Hermione woke up coughing, and even after taking her spray multiple times, she could not properly breathe.

Within instants, Minerva was at her bed side. "Hermione, are you all right?" she asked worriedly, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"No," Hermione whispered back, feeling too bad to care what was going to happen anymore.

HP

A short while later, Hermione found herself in the hospital wing, where Theresa waved her wand over her, frowning at the result. "Did you not notice that you were ill?" she asked, incredulously. "You neglected your cold so long that it turned into pneumonia. Oh well, this will give us the opportunity to get to know each other quite well," she said in a lighter tone.

"Oh no," Hermione groaned, immediately grasping the meaning behind the Healer's words. "Minerva, Poppy, can one of you please tell Tom that I'm stuck here and won't be able to meet him today?" she asked, giving her friends a pleading look.

"And not during the next week," Poppy added, before she promised, "We'll tell him, Hermione. Don't worry about that."

Hermione mumbled a thanks, before she let her achy head sink back into her pillow. An instant later, she succumbed to the potions that Theresa had spelled into her system and drifted off to sleep.

HP

During the following days, Hermione felt too miserable to properly take in her surroundings. However, one day she woke up feeling much more alert. _'Tom,'_ was her first thought. _'I need to study with him in order to get close to him. I hope Madam Pomfrey will let me go soon,'_ she mused, giving the Healer an expectant look, when Theresa stepped around her bed, apparently alerted by a spell that Hermione had woken up.

"Welcome back to the world of the living. You gave your friends quite a fright during the last few days. Even Tom came asking to see you every day," she said, her voice laced with clear amusement. Seeing that Hermione stared at her in surprise, she smirked. "He's a nice boy, very polite and smart, and he seems to be missing you a lot. It's difficult to imagine that he's the same person that your memories are about."

"Yes, that's true," Hermione replied, smiling at her guardian. "Will you please allow him to visit me if he comes again. It's really important that I become good friends with him and..."

"I know my dear. However, so far you were too unwell to have any visitors," Theresa said in a soft voice. "Well, if you manage to eat a bowl of chicken broth for me, I'll think about it."

"Deal," Hermione promised, inwardly groaning at the prospect of eating anything.

HP

Late in the afternoon, Tom came to visit Hermione. He gave her a piercing look, before he queried, "May I disturb you?"

Hermione smiled and waved her hand towards the chair next to her bed. "You're not disturbing me, Tom. I'm happy you came to see me. It's absolutely boring here."

Tom let himself sink into the chair and nodded. "I know. I've spent some time here last year, after a group of Gryffindor seventh years hexed me. At least Madam Pomfrey is very nice though."

_'That's true,'_ Hermione thought. _'I'm glad that I have her as my guardian here in this time. It's interesting that Tom is so caring though. I'd have believed that he was incapable of having emotions.' _

"Tom, you know that you can't practise the Animagus transformation just on your own, right?" she asked in concern. "Someone always has to be with you in order to fetch Professor Dumbledore or Madam Pomfrey if something happens."

Tom sighed. "The others are all dunderheads. They're too lazy. No one else but you would take the trouble studying with me."

Hermione grinned, understanding the feeling only too well. "Shouldn't have the Hat placed you in Ravenclaw then?" she enquired, looking at him with interest.

"Originally, the Hat suggested Ravenclaw," Tom admitted quietly. "However, knowing that Slytherin is the House of snakes, I talked him into placing me into Slytherin. Only afterwards I found out that I'm the heir of Salazar."

Hermione eyed the boy in understanding. "Tom, could you do me a favour and bring me one of the books about the Transformation? I don't have any books here, and then I could at least study some, even if I won't get a chance to practise, as long as I'm here."

"Of course," Tom said, grinning. "I'll try to sneak in here and place it on your night table later on," he promised. "Don't worry, we'll have enough time to practise when you're out of here. Sooner or later we'll manage to transform into our feline forms."

"Yes, that's true," Hermione agreed, before she said, pensively, "When I'm out of here, I'll introduce you to my three friends, Minerva, Poppy and Rolanda. They want to become Animagi too, and they're as eager to manage it as you and me. Maybe we can study all together."

"Oh that would be great," Tom replied, interestedly. "Are those the girls who alerted me that you were stuck here?"

"Yes," Hermione confirmed, unobtrusively observing his expression. _'He's not only very kind but also attractive,'_ she mused, noticing that he was wearing a dark blue jumper under his black robes with the Slytherin symbol. _'Similar to the one that Harry was often wearing. Oh Merlin, I hope that it's only because of my fever, but I think I'm having a crush on him,'_ she realised, inwardly sighing in relief when Madam Pomfrey headed over to them and shooed Tom out, promising that he could come back the following day.

_tbc..._

_I know that there is barely any interest in this story, but my muse insists on continuing it. Thank you so much, PSay, Shirapp and bkerrmom, for your kind comments!_


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